Bebop Licks

Bebop Licks is a free guitar video lesson by Peter Vogl we'll look at some Bebop style licks mixed in with some minor pentatonic ideas. In the video we will use the backing track "Bm jam", which is track 11 from the Let's Jam! Blues and Rock CD. When using Bebop ideas over these chords, think of playing over E Dominant or Bm. Both turn out to be the same set of notes. When I use Bebop, I really don't distinguish between the two. If you haven't ever used the Bebop scale, you are entering new territory. If you don't understand the scale, at least learn the licks and try to get used to their sound. The Bebop scale or sound can be used over many types of music, not just Jazz. I use it over rock, funk, blues, etc.

The problem with learning just this scale is that Bebop licks don't really just stick to this set of notes. It is more an approach to chromaticism (moving by half step) and phrasing than just a set of notes. Begin to learn this sound by playing some of the licks below and associating them with the chords.

The Bebop scale is a great sound and will add interesting notes and phrases to your soloing. Good luck and when in doubt, play loud.

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Mike Stern Style Lines by Guy Fenocchi is a Quicktime video lesson covering the bebop sounds of jazz guitarist Mike Stern. This lesson will teach you the Bebop Dominant scale and how to apply it. Guy will show you how to play each of these Stern style lines while discussing concepts like passing tones, deflection, enclosure, and upper and lower neighboring tones. Included in the download is a .pdf of the tabs. $4.99